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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 2022)
In Other Words September 15 2022 17 The Good Ol ’ Days By Tobie Finzel One Century Ago, September 1922 Last month’s column described Ver- nonia Day (September 9, 1922) that cel- ebrated the completion of the railroad. The Vernonia Eagle had started publish- ing the month before and devoted a lot of column space in its first years to pro- moting the promise of the new mill and the changes that would come to the city. The editor quoted the last paragraph of a two-column article in the St. Hel- ens Mist that praised the Vernonia Day event: “The day closed in a blaze of glory. The visitors, tired but well content with Vernonia’s charming hospitality, de- parted by rail and auto. The sun went down and twilight fell upon the valley. From a hill apart, I saw the lights of the town appear out of the darkness one by one. The lights of the carnival, red and green and blue, twinkled merrily as if to the tune of the merry-go-round, and rockets spurted brilliant streamers into the skies. Standing on the same hill a year from now, we may not see rockets or the multi-colored glow of a carnival, but instead, we shall doubtless behold the arclights of a fair-sized city.” The newspaper editor in Forest Grove also praised the celebration in less fanciful tones, describing Vernonia and the celebration as good. He noted favorably the 30 new buildings, the “rocked” roads (paving was still two years away), new paint, a bank with over $100,000 in deposits, stores, hotels filled, and the new high school (on State Avenue and A Street). He concluded that Vernonia’s future looked bright. In the same Eagle edition, the new high school with its gymnasium, assem- bly hall with a big stage, eight class- rooms, and modern sloping stairs was about to open. Built at a cost of $45,000 ($800,000 in 2022 dollars), the final fur- niture and fittings weren’t quite ready at the start of the school year. High school students attended classes in the Grange Hall for a few weeks before final move- in. Prior to this new high school, stu- dents past the eighth grade took classes in the old Washington School, the pre- decessor to the 1930 brick grade school that was demolished in 2012. As word of the coming mill and the big payroll it would generate brought many new people to town, housing was in extremely short supply. While there were new stores and restaurants open- ing during this year, the Eagle listed several other things needed to make the 150-person town into the “new Pitts- burgh” the editor envisioned. The list included a laundry, jeweler, bath house, apartment houses, hospital, auto agency, manufacturers, millinery shop, photog- rapher, music store, plumbers, and tai- lors. By the end of the decade, several of these were indeed established. Nota- bly absent, however, was a hospital, and manufacturers beyond the timber indus- try never emerged in large numbers. The biggest need in 1922 – after housing – was completion of the electric power system. A new power and light company was in development with the energy coming from a dam beyond the town of Keasey on Rock Creek. George Burdick, an experienced power execu- tive, had just posted a $5,000 bond with the city to secure the right to provide power and light by March 1923. In 1922, most businesses had their own in- dividual light plants. Burdick promised the city, free of charge, four 100 watt street lights and a lighted sign for the Vernonia Power Company. Central Coal and Coke, parent of what would become the Oregon-Amer- ican Lumber Mill, had just acquired 30,000 acres of prime virgin timber in the Coast Range and a 100-acre site for the mill just west of what was the city limits at the time. Work had just com- menced on the logging and the clearing of the site to build the mill. The future of Vernonia did indeed look bright. From Virgil Powell’s Diary Virgil Powell (1887-1963) was a long- time resident whose family had a farm in the Upper Nehalem Valley between Na- tal and Pittsburg. Each year from 1906 until 1955, he kept a regular diary of his activities. September brought harvest season and grain threshing (which Vir- gil spells “thrashing”) that was done by several neighbors at each person’s farm. He also mentions attending a camp meeting which were religious gather- ings of a week or more with a circuit preacher leading the nightly events. Sunday, Sept. 15,1912: Was just fooling around in forenoon. Started up to my girls about ton of flour. Left out there 1 and got home 9 P.M. Very hot all day. noon and got up there about 2.30 P.M. We started back down to camp meeting 5.30. Went back up there after camp meeting and got back home 2.10. Very warm all day. Thursday, Sept. 26. Was just fooling around in forenoon. Went up to U.S. Mellinger’s and got the cider mill in afternoon. Awful hot all day. Went up to Vernonia 6.15 and got back 9.30. Monday, Sept. 16. Hauled up some wood for the thrashing engine the first thing in morning. Raked hay in afternoon till 2.45 and finished. Commenced shocking 3.25 and finished 6.15 Cloudy most all day and looks very much like rain. Wednesday, Sept. 18. Finished hauling the clover hay at noon. Took the hay rake over to Elliott barn. Went up to camp meeting about 6.30. Inez was down so had a little talk. Got back home 10.45. Very good day but certainly cold at nights. Thursday, Sept. 19. Went up to Pittsburg and fixed some fence the first thing in morning. Jack and I went down to Oak Ranch late in evening and butchered a sheep. Fine and bright all day. Friday, Sept. 20. Went up to Rays and helped haul in some oats in forenoon. The thrashers got there about 1 and finished about 4. Bright and fine all day. The thrashers pulled in here 7.30 P.M. Saturday, Sept. 21. Commenced thrashing my grain 7.30 and finished 9.45 A.M. Went on down and finished Pringles 2.30 and on down to Petersons and finished about 6 P.M. Got back home about 7.30. Bright and very warm all day. Sunday, Sept. 22. Went up and helped Ericksons thrash and finished about noon. Started up to my girl’s late in afternoon and got up there 6.30 P.M. Went up horseback. Bright and dandy all day. Left up there 11.15 and got home 1.15. Tuesday, Sept. 24. Took Nellie & Babe up and got them shod. Got back 1.30. Caught a deer in the river up by Pittsburg as I was returning home. Very warm all day. Wednesday, Sept. 25. Left 4 A.M. in wagon for Clatskanie. Got out there 9.30. Brought in a Friday, Sept. 27. -- Ground out a little cider in morning. Also went up to Pittsburg and got “Happy.’’ Went up the river about 12 miles horseback in afternoon for a little ride. Got back 6 P.M. Pretty warm most of day. Saturday, Sept. 28. Did not do very much of anything in forenoon. Started up above in buggy about 4 P.M. Went clear up to Chas. after Inez. We came down and was at the dance for a while. Left the dance about 1 and got up above about 4 A.M. Fine and dandy all day. Sunday, Sept. 29. Got home from the big doings 8 A.M. Had breakfast and went to bed about 9 and did not get up till 1.30 P.M. Went over and ground out about 10 gallons of cider late in afternoon. Cloudy most all day and looks very much like rain. The Vernonia Pioneer Museum is lo- cated at 511 E. Bridge Street and is open from 1 to 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays (excluding holidays) all year. There is no charge for admission but do- nations are always welcome. Become a member of the museum for an annual $5 fee to receive the periodic newsletter. We now have a page on the Vernonia Hands on Art website, www.vernonia- handsonart.org If you are a Facebook user, check out the Vernonia Pioneer Museum page. The museum volunteers are always pleased to enlist additional volunteers to help hold the museum open and assist in other ways. Please stop by and let one of the volunteers know of your interest in helping out. Vernonia’s Voice is published on the 1 st and 3 rd Thursday. Look for our next issue on October 6. , D M D Vernonia Dental C st hr i a S . M e ch a r e m u n 622 Bridge Street Vernonia, OR 97064 phone (503) 429-0880 -- fax (503) 429-0881 Hunting Season is here! Archery Equipment - Sporting Goods Calls - Cammo - Boots - Accessories Binoculars - Scent Killers - Targets Family owned & operated for over 50 years 834 Bridge St, Vernonia 503-429-6364
